Cordillera Ranch News

The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Cordillera Ranch debuts as the No. 4 golf course in Texas on The Dallas Morning News annual ranking of Top 50 Texas courses. Each year the newspaper publishes its renowned “Texas Golf” section, which ranks the top 100 courses in the state.

In addition to the overall course ranking, individual holes also garnered honors as some of the “Eighteen Best Holes” and “Eighteen Most Beautiful Holes” in Texas. Hole No. 16 was overwhelmingly selected to both of these distinguished lists, while hole No. 5 was also selected as one of the “Eighteen Best Holes”.

“People in the golf community look forward to The Dallas Morning News ‘Texas Golf’ publication each and every year,” said Marc DeWall, head golf pro at Cordillera Ranch. “It is certainly one of the most comprehensive and thorough golf course rankings designated by a group of respected panelists from across the state. It is a huge honor to secure the No. 4 ranking when looking at the many great courses in our state.”

The 2009 debut continues Cordillera Ranches prominence in the state as a premier course. It was named “The Best New Course in Texas” in the 2008 “Texas Golf” section. Nearly 100 panelists from across the state submitted votes for the “Texas Golf” rankings. This year marks the 21st year that The Dallas Morning News has published “Texas Golf.”

“I have played a lot of golf courses around Texas, and the course at Cordillera Ranch is as good as any I’ve seen” said Drew Gillen, one of this year’s panelists and an amateur golfer from Tyler. “It’s the kind of course that is incredibly challenging but still fair. What makes it so unique is that each hole is so memorable. The natural beauty of the course makes it something special.”

Course designer Jack Nicklaus was asked what makes the Cordillera Ranch golf course so special and unique.

“First of all, it’s a good piece of property - no, a great piece of property.” Nicklaus said. ”Because of the quality of the existing property, we had to move very little dirt to create good golf. The terrain had a lot of natural elements that were just terrific. There were great trees and wonderful little streams that ran through the property. And then there were some dramatic rock outcroppings that allowed us to create a lot of diversity and interesting and fun golf shots. David Hill and his family were tremendous to work with. They were passionate about the product and the golf experience. I have always believed that the most successful design projects are the ones in which the owner has gotten personally involved. The Hills did that and the end result shows.”

National golf experts also took notice of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Cordillera Ranch. Golf Inc. magazine selected Cordillera Ranch as one of five finalists in the “Private Club” category of the magazine’s 2007 “Development of the Year” competition, and LINKS magazine recognized Cordillera Ranch among “America’s 100 Premier Properties” in its 2007-2008 special issue on golf real estate.

The 7,464-yard, par-72 Nicklaus-designed course is the centerpiece of Cordillera Ranch. With its cascading water features and natural limestone canyons, the course embraces and captures the authentic Texas Hill Country beauty and character to provide an extraordinary golf experience.

Cordillera Ranch is an 8,700-acre master-planned residential community located north of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country. Cordillera Ranch offers its residents on-site recreational opportunities and boasts 1 to 10+-acre estates, including valley view, golf course, Guadalupe River frontage and hilltop home sites. Residents of the guarded/gated community can join The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch, which feature seven resort-style clubs in one location, including The Golf Club, The Social Club, The Tennis and Swim Club, The Equestrian Club, The Rod and Gun Club, The Spa and Athletic Club and The River Club. Cordillera Ranch is being developed by Cordillera Ranch Development Corp., a subsidiary of the Texas-based DH Investment Company.

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